Mounting means for switch blade and blade-shaped fuse terminal



Nov. 22, 1966 T. J. RYS

MOUNTING MEANS FOR SWITCH BLADE AND BLADE-SHAPED FUSE TERMINAL Filed June 16, 1965 United States Patent M 3,287,533 MOUNTING MEANS FOR SWITCH BLADE AND BLADE-SHAPED FUSE TERMINAL Tadeusz J. Rys, Lexington, Ky., assignor to Square D Company, Park Ridge, 111., a corporation of Michigan Filed June 16, 1965, Ser. No. 464,348 6 Claims. (Cl. 200162) This invention relates to means for pivotally mounting a switch blade of a fusible safety switch and for mounting a blade-shaped terminal of a fuse in electrically connected relationship with the switch blade.

An object of the invention is to provide an improved, simple, economical, rugged, efficient and durable mounting means for mounting a blade-shaped terminal of a fuse and a pivotable switch blade of :a safety switch in electrically connected relationship to each other.

Another object is to provide an improved mounting means for a switch blade and a blade-shaped terminal of a fuse, wherein a single spring member not only retains a pivot pin for a switch blade in position by preventing axial displacement of the pivot pin, but also urges two portion of the mounting means toward each other to establish a good electrical connection between the switch blade and a blade-shaped terminal of a cartridge fuse.

These and other object will become apparent when the following specification is considered in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, in which:

FIG. 1 is a fragmentary side elevational view, partially in section, of an insulating base base having a switch blade and fuse terminal mounting means constructed in accordance with the invention mounted thereon;

FIG. 2 is a sectional View taken generally along the line 22 of FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is a front view of the base and mounting means of FIG. 1; and

FIG. 4 is an exploded perspective view of the switch blade and fuse terminal mounting means of FIG. 1.

With reference to the drawings, a switch blade and fuse terminal mounting means constructed in accordance with the invention includes a first generally U-shaped mounting member 10, a second mounting member 12 generally in the form of a rectangular tube, a pivot pin 14 for a switch blade, and a generally U-shaped spring member 16. A switch blade 18 is included as part of the assembly.

For reception of the pin 14, three holes are provided, a hole a being provided in a leg portion 10b of the member 10, a hole 12a being provided in a side wall portion 12b of the member 12, and a hole 18a being provided in the switch blade 18.

A pair of holes 100 are provided in a bight portion 10d of the member 10 for reception respectively of a pair of :apertured internally threaded extruded boss portions 12c provided on a bottom or rear wall portion 12d of the member 12.

An inwardly lanced portion 10e is provided in the other leg portion of .107 of the member 10 to serve as a stop for a blade-shaped terminal 20 of a cartridge fuse 22 to enble the fuse to be readily pried out of the mounting means. A free end portion 10g of the leg portion 10 is flared away from the leg portion 10b.

The member 12 is tomned from a flat strip generally into a short rectangular tube, one end portion of the strip forming a top or front wall portion 12e. A side ;wall portion 12 opposite the side wall portion 12b extends beyond the front wall portion 12e and terminates in a flare-d portion 12g inclined toward the side wall portion 12b. The flaring of the portions 10g and 12g permits easy insertion of the blade-shaped terminal 20- between the side wall portion '12 and the leg portion 10 A pair of leg portions 16a and 16b of the spring mem- 3,287,533 Patented Nov. 22, 1966 ber 16 urge the leg portions 10b and 109 of the member 10 toward each other. A pair of holes 160 are provided in a bight portion 16d of the spring member 16 for reception respectively of a pair of mounting screws 24 threadable into the respective bosses 120 to secure the mounting means of the invention on an insulating base 26 mountable in an enclosure (not shown) of a safety switch. Before assembly of the member 10 in the spring member 16, the leg portions 16a and 16b are spaced closer together than the width of the member 10 adjacent their free ends, but they are provided respectively with a pair of outwardly flared portions 162 and 1 6 for easy insertion of the member 10.

Before installation on the base 26, the bight portion 16d of the spring member 16 is curved slightly as shown in FIG. 4. Straightening or flattening of the bight portion 16d upon tightening of the spring member .16 to the base 26 causes increased pressure to be exerted on the member 10 by the leg portions 16a and 16b.

In assembling, the member '12 is inserted in the member 10 with the boss portions 12c disposed in the holes 100, the blade 18 is inserted between the leg portion 10b and the side wall portion 12b with the hole 18a in alignment with the holes 10a and 12a, the pin 14 is inserted in the holes 10a, 18a, and 12a, and the spring member 16 is mounted on the outside of the member 10 with the holes in alignment with the internally threaded bosses 12c This sub-assembly is then mounted in place on the base 26 and secured by the turning of the screws 24 into the bosses 12c from the bottom or rear side of the base 26.

It will be understood that a plurality of blades 18 may be so mounted on the base 26 and the base 26 secured to the inner surfaces of a bottom or rear wall of an enclosure (not shown) forming part of a safety switch having means (not shown) for actuating the blades 18 between open and closed positions with respect to respective pairs of stationary contact jaws such as a pair of jaws 28 (FIGS. 1 and 3) electrically connected to a terminal 30. The switch blade actuating means may be like that disclosed in application, Serial No. 471,212, filed on July 12, 1965, and the jaws 28 and terminal 30 may be like those disclosed in application, Serial No. 464,336 filed on June 16, 1965. It will further be understood that fuses such as the fuse 22 may be installed in the safety switch, the bladeshaped terminals 20 being inserted between each set of side wall portions 12 and leg portions 10 The bladesh-aped terminals (not shown) at the other ends of the fuses 22 may be inserted between stationary contact jaws identical to the jaws 28 and connected to terminals such as the terminal 30.

It will be seen that the switch blade and the mounting means for the switch blade and :a blade-shaped terminal of a fuse are easily assembled without the use of special tools, and that the spring members 16 retains the pin 14 in position and establishes pressure between the blade 18, the leg portion 10b, and the side wall portion 12b, and also between the side wall portion '12 the fuse blade terminal 20, and the leg portion 10 Various modifications may be made in the structure disclosed without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention.

I claim:

v1. Mounting means for mounting a pivotable switch blade and a blade-shaped terminal of a cartridge fuse in electrically connected relationship, said mounting means comprising a generally U-shaped first mounting member having a bight portion and a pair of spaced first and second leg portions, said first leg portion having a hole ex tending therethr-ou-gh, 'a second mounting member disposed between said leg portions in spaced relationship thereto and secured to said bi-ght portion, there being a space between said first leg portion and a first side wall portion of said second mounting member for receiving a switch blade rand there being a space between a second side wall portion of said second mounting member and said second leg portion for receiving a blade-shaped terminal of a cartridge fuse, said first side wall portion of said second mounting member having a hole extending therethrough and aligned with said hole in said first leg portion, and a pivot pin for a switch blade, said pivot pin being received in said holes and said second side Wall portion of said second mounting member preventing axial movement of said pivot pin into said space for receiving a blade-shaped terminal of a cartridge tuse.

2. The mounting means claimed in claim 1, and 'a switch blade mounted on said pivot pin.

3. The mounting means claimed in claim 1, and stop means on one of said mounting members in the space between said second mounting member and said other leg portion for maintaining a blade-shaped terminal of a cartridge fuse received therebetween in spaced relationship to said bight portion.

4. The mounting means claimed in claim 1, and a generally U-shaped spring member embracing said first mounting member and having a bight portion and a pair 4 of space-d leg portions respectively disposed on the outer sides of and extending generally parallel to the bight portion and the pair of spaced leg port-ions of said first mounting member, the leg pomtio-ns of said spring member urging the free end portions of said leg portions of said first mounting member toward each other.

5. The combination claimed in claim 4, wherein said spring member includes a portion limiting axial movement of said pivot pin away from said other leg portion.

6. The mounting means claimed in claim 1, wherein said second mounting member is generally in the form of a rectangular tube having a pair of opposed side wall portions, one of said side wall portions having a hole therethrough for receiving said pivot pin and the other of said side wall portions including a portion limiting axial movement of said pivot pin away from said one leg portion.

References Cited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,400,279 12/1921 Freeman et a1. 200-114 2,831,944 4/1958 Miller 200114 BERNARD A. GILHEANY, Primary Examiner.

H. A. LEWITTER, Assistant Examiner. 

1. MOUNTING MEANS FOR MOUNTING A PIVOTABLE SWITCH BLADE AND A BLADE-SHAPED TERMINAL OF A CARTRIDGE FUSE IN ELECTRICALLY CONNECTED RELATIONSHIP, SAID MOUNTING MEANS COMPRISING A GENERALLY U-SHAPED FIRST MOUNTING MEMBER HAVING A BIGHT PORTION AND A PAIR OF SPACED FIRST AND SECOND LEG PORTIONS, SAID FIRST LEG PORTION HAVING A HOLE EXTENDING THERETHROUGH, A SECOND MOUNTING MEMBER DISPOSED BETWEEN SAID LEG PORTIONS IN SPACED RELATIONSHIP THERETO AND SECURED TO SAID BIGHT PORTION, THERE BEING A SPACE BETWEEN SAID FIRST LEG PORTION AND A FIRST SIDE WALL PORTION OF SAID SECOND MOUNTING MEMBER FOR RECEIVING A SWITCH BLADE AND THERE BEING A SPACE BETWEEN A SECOND 